Box Score 

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana – Illinois men's tennis defeated Ball State, 6-1 on Wednesday afternoon at the Schwartz Tennis Center. The Illini have now won 22-straight matches against the Cardinals dating back to 1995. The Orange and Blue improve to 7-4 overall this season.

Illinois grabbed an early advantage in the match by clinching the doubles point. Redshirt-senior Alex Jesse and freshman Aleks Kovacevic defeated Andersen and Carney, 6-2 on court two. Juniors Aron Hiltzik and Aleks Vukic clinched the point for the Illini with a 6-3 win on court one.

In singles play, the Cardinals tied the match at 1-all with Jirus's 6-2, 6-1 win over Illini redshirt-sophomore Pablo Landa. Five Illini freshmen would take the final five singles matches to clinch a 6-1 victory over Ball State. Gui Gomes defeated Andrew Stutz, 6-4, 6-2 on court one. Kovacevic earned a 6-1, 6-3 victory on court three. Noe Khlif clinched the match victory 6-2, 6-3 over Andersen on court four.

The remaining singles matches would play out at the Schwartz Tennis Center. Vuk Budic defeated Pat Downs, 6-2, 6-4 on court five. Zeke Clark closed out the match with a 6-4, 6-3 win at the No. 2 position.

Up next, the Illini will face the Purdue Boilermakers at 5 p.m. CT at the Schwartz Tennis Center.

Final Results

#23 Illinois 6, Ball State 1

Doubles-Order of Finish: 2, 1*

1. Hiltzik/Vukic (Illinois) def. Stutz/C. Andersen (Ball State), 6-3
2. Jesse/Kovacevic (Illinois) def. L. Andersen/Carney (Ball State), 6-2
3. Clark/Gomes (Illinois) vs. Guzina/Helm (Ball State), 4-3, unf.

Singles-Order of Finish: 6, 1, 3, 4*, 5, 2

1. Gui Gomes (Illinois) def. Andrew Stutz (Ball State) 6-4, 6-2
2. Zeke Clark (Illinois) def. Marko Guzina (Ball State) 6-4, 6-3
3. Aleks Kovacevic (Illinois) def. Nemanja Guzina (Ball State) 6-1, 6-3
4. Noe Khlif (Illinois) def. Conner Andersen (Ball State) 6-2, 6-3
5. Vuk Budic (Illinois) def. Pat Downs (Ball State) 6-2, 6-4
6. Jan Jirus (Ball State) def. Pablo Landa (Illinois) vs. 6-2, 6-1

Records: Illinois (7-4), Ball State (5-5)

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